Im so excited to have this ice rink back! This is my first time doing a DPR activity so I made the…read moremistake of thinking I could just walk in and buy a ticket! The ticketing system IS CONFUSING AND NOT designed well at all. There is no phone number, so hopefully you can read and use the internet. You need to register for a DPR account, and upload proof of residency if you reside in DC and want the resident pricing. The people who verify your residency are working weekdays. The site states it may take 7-10 days to be approved. Everyone who creates an account will automatically be a non-resident until they're approved. If you're planning to participate, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT WEEKS BEFOREHAND. Other than that, it's pretty simple. The staff scans your ticket upstairs, you get your rental skates and go on the ice! I was not informed that figure skates existed. That would've been helpful since the hockey skates were a bit uncomfortable for me. I'm glad they have options though.

Fort Dupont Ice Arena is Washington's best kept secret. It's the only indoor ice skating rink in…read morethe city of Washington, D.C. It's not Metro accessible, explaining why many people don't know about it, but there is a large free parking lot next door as well as a Capital Bikeshare dock. The space itself is clearly built in a different era, but they have maintained it well for not having a lot of funding. A non-profit runs the arena and it is mainly used for non-profit programming for youth who ice skate. However, they keep the ice rink open every day from 9am-4pm and rentals are affordable ($5 for adults and $4 for seniors and youth). If you're looking for a fun, family activity in DC, check the Ice Arena out. It's such a fun thing to do!

I went to Pretty Lady Pole Fit for my friends birthday. We chose to do the private chair dancing…read moreclass which included 30 minutes to socialize, pics, refreshments, etc and then 40-50 mins of class instruction. The instructor/ owner Arminta was amazing. She was very welcoming, engaging and had a way of making everyone relaxed and very comfortable. We had an amazing time and are already planning our next visit!

I've been coming here since March or April of 2016 and I love it! All of the instructors are…read morefriendly, patient, and supportive.

I think this place recently has new ownership since they were totally different last year - and…read morebetter. The prices seem WAY more expensive, and they up-charged for the table-balance things. Last year, those were free (and they were penguins - I did like these tables more.). We paid something like $80 for a family of four - admission, skate rental, and two balancers. Also, the skates were extremely oddly designed. I have never seen skates with laces so short before. I couldn't wrap them around the ankle of the boot, and as such they were very loose - so much so that I had to go down two sizes, at which point they were just pinching my feet. My kids also complained that they were too loose and then too tight. Finally, we started very soon after they opened and the rink was already difficult to skate on because of all the marks on it. We didn't see the zamboni until we were leaving, around 11:30. They really needed to use it earlier. I don't think we'll come back here to skate anymore.

As a previous reviewer mentioned, the downtown Silver Spring ice rink has changed hands in terms of…read moremanagement. Prices are pretty expensive - I was charged $13 for admission without renting skates. At the Wheaton Ice arena, you can get admission and skates for this price. I saw a mom who paid $36 for two kids to enter and skate! Plus, the rink is not as well-kept. On multiple occasions, the ice is quite rough to skate on, because they aren't Zamboni-ing properly or often enough. I probably won't be back anytime soon.

I recently visited the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park for a women's tennis…read moreclass hosted by a women's health organization and I was genuinely surprised by the facility. As someone who grew up in the area and went to school in College Park, I somehow had no idea this place even existed! Even though the facility is slated for renovations soon, it's still very nice in its current state. They have both indoor and outdoor courts, spacious locker rooms, and a really nice clubhouse area. The atmosphere felt active and welcoming, especially on a busy Saturday afternoon. The staff members assigned as our coaches for the day were also incredibly kind and patient as they helped us work on our form and learn the basics of tennis. As someone newer to the sport, I really appreciated how encouraging and approachable they were. I've recently picked up tennis as a hobby and have been exploring clubs in the area to potentially join, and JTCC is definitely high on my list now. My only small critique is that I wasn't able to speak with anyone at the front desk because it was so busy, and the website doesn't list membership pricing, so I'll have to call for more details. Still, overall I left really impressed and excited to come back!

If you're looking to pick up a hobby as an adult, want to get more active and do something new with…read morea friend, I highly highly recommend checking out JTCC in College Park, MD. It's a short drive from the DC area and definitely worth it. JTCC's facilities and team are top tier. A friend and I started level 1 tennis lessons with Coach Frank and had a blast. They currently have an offer where if you buy one group lesson package ($60) you get to bring a friend with you for free. My friend and I learned so much over the 3 weeks that we attended. They have various day and time options for you to choose from and there's an ample amount of parking. My friend I are now taking tennis 2 lessons once a week and we are obsessed. It's truly the best way to stay active, learn a new skill, hang out with friends and make new friends! If you end up signing up let me know what you think!!

What's more fun than watching girls wearing fishnets while knocking each other down? Watching ones…read moredoing exactly that on roller-skates! Today was the season opener, with bouts between the DC DemonCats and the Cherry-Blossom Bombshells. Being a complete n00b to the sport (is roller derby considered a sport?) I appreciated the brief intro demo about the differences between jammers, blockers, and pivots, how scoring works, and what's allowed and not allowed. Even armed with that information, I wasn't prepared for how much actually happens on the rink! If not for the solid announcer, I would have had an even more challenging time keeping up with the fast and furious action. Perhaps not quite as rowdy as the Kastles matches, there was still a respectable crowd cheering everyone on - it didn't seem like there were necessarily fans for any particular team, but just general rooting for everyone. If you've never been out to a bout here, you're long overdue! (Plus, after-party at The Argonaut? Seriously, coolest live entertainment ever!)

I love roller derby. I loved roller derby before it became popular again. And due some amazing…read moreluck, I have a best friend who has an uncanny nose for ferreting out all the subcultures that I've always loved, but never thought had enough of a fanbase to become a subculture! Who knew that I was cool and a trendsetter all these years? Anyways, shortly after it's inception, my BFF introduced me to the Charm City Roller Girls, and my socks were completely blown off. Amazing ladies, short jams, and the most uber adorable outfits *ever*. I went up to Baltimore a few times for the bouts but a combination of getting lost *way* to easily - even with a GPS, and an overpacked schedule that doesn't allow for hour long drives each way, put a quick kibosh on me being a regular attendee. So when I found out that the DC had their own roller girls team, how could I not attend?! And down at the Armory? So convenient! Now, I love the DC Roller Girls. They are pretty amazing, very friendly, and adorably cute! They are just as vicious, fast, and fantastic as the CCRGs, but I have to ask...what happened to the cute outfits?!? Scare-Force One would be adorable in a punked out stewardess mini-dress. The DemonCats would be so fetching in cute little pinstripe vests and matching hotpants. And the Cherry Blossom Bombshells...well, let's just say that if anyone from the DCRGs are reading this and are interested in new outfits - call me! I'll sew my little fingers off to make fantastic new kickin' (yet, functional) outfits for you! I'm eagerly anticipating the day that roller derby becomes the #1 sport in the nation!

For the annual DC Dragon Boat Festival, we signed up for two on water practices before the race…read moreday. This boathouse and docks were conveniently located off I-695 in southeastern DC. Besides the boathouse for crew, there were rowing machines and modified paddling machines. There were restrooms and showers available.

Whether you want to paddle and row recreationally or competitively, there are teams to fit your…read moregoals. You train and compete with a wonderful group of people here. People of all ages are part of the boathouse. No matter which team you are a part of, you'll find a great community of people cheering you on to succeed in your paddling and/or rowing journey.

I saw that city swing had a deal for June that gives you a lesson and an hour in the simulator for…read more$28. Felt too good to be true, but it turned out great. I hadn't ever been before and I really enjoyed my visit. You get a private room to yourself which is very nice. You can bring up to 4 people total for the $28. You can bring two extra people for $15 extra. I haven't scheduled the lesson yet but I'll report back about that.

What an awesome experience! We've been wanting to give golf a try in a low pressure environment (we…read moreknow nothing) and popped into CitySwing. We did not know what to expect and left with a great workout, fun experience, and my wife, 4 year old daughter, and I all interested in golf. First off, the staff was amazing! Marquis has been golfing since he was 6 and gave us some quick tips that immediately improved our swing. They also had great cocktails and food and we loved having a private room where we could play music, watch the game, and play and learn at our own pace. They have multiple games including a driving range, courses, and a game where you aim at monsters (which our daughter really enjoyed). The staff provided great recommendations on each game. We immediately signed up for a subscription- the prices were really reasonable, hours are accommodating, and we envision going on our own to practice, bringing our daughter (she's been asking to go back), or going with friends. This would also be a lot of fun for corporate events or team building even if you don't golf and we are looking forward to bringing our teams in the near future. Fun, great for many audiences, and an amazing resource for improving your game!

True story...moved to DC and knew one person from back home. They said, "you have to play kickball…read moreon the mall". I signed up four years ago and have played every season since. STILL THE BEST SOCIAL DECISION I MADE SINCE MOVING TO DC. Really is 50% kickball and 50% happy hour...very few people from DC, so this is an excellent way to meet some new life long friends. I love looking up at the Washington Monument on a Thursday evening as the sun is going down from first base thinking "I wonder what all my friends are doing back home right now?" Whether you already have a team of players, a group of 3-9 friends you want to play with, or just joining by yourself, their awesome staff will take care of you and get you all set up during registration. There are a couple other leagues in DC (think some of them are even more expensive), and I have more people coming from those leagues because they really werent very "fun",

This is the first summer I played DC Kickball and it will be my last. Although I really enjoyed the…read morepeople on my team, I felt like there was a lot of disrespect from a lot of other players. I'm going to go ahead and say it, there were dudes on other teams that just made it so unpleasant to be on field. I think we get into this hoping it will not be like our kickball experiences in middle school, and usually during every game, there was a moment where I felt like "really? I thought we were adults." DC Kickball, unlike some other city teams, does not hire refs, which I think is fine. Refs are volunteers from teams that are not playing. What upset me the most was that dudes from some of the teams argued every call, not letting it go, ganging up on the volunteer refs. I certainly won't be playing next season.